Axial flow fountain base

ABSTRACT

A fountain base includes a housing which defines a symmetrical internal chamber. An inlet opening and an outlet opening to and from the chamber are formed coaxially of the chamber through opposite ends of the chamber. Means are provided for mounting a water discharge nozzle to the housing coaxially of the chamber outlet opening. Liquid flow controlling means are operatively associated with the path of liquid flow through the chamber from the inlet opening to the outlet opening, and are proportioned and arranged for causing liquid flowing along the path at the outlet opening to have an essentially laminar flow characteristic and an essentially uniform liquid flow pattern. The flow controlling means include the proportioning of the chamber to have a mean cross-sectional area in a plane transverse to the axis of symmetry which is substantially greater than the effective area of the inlet opening.

United States Patent 91 Hruby, Jr.

[ 1 Jan. 15, 1974 Related U.S. Application Data [63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 87,886, Nov. 9,

1970, Pat. NO. 3,705,686.

[52] U.S. Cl 239/17, 239/5903 [51] Int. Cl B05b 17/08 [58] Field of Search 239/5903, 553.3,

Primary Examiner-M. Henson Wood, Jr. Assistant Examiner-John J. Love Attorney-Robert L. Parker et al.

[57] ABSTRACT A fountain base includes a housing which defines a symmetrical internal chamber. An inlet opening and an outlet opening to and from the chamber are formed coaxially of the chamber through opposite ends of the chamber. Means are provided for mounting a water discharge nozzle to the housing coaxially of the chamber outlet opening. Liquid flow controlling means are operatively associated with the path of liquid flow through the chamber from the inlet opening to the outlet opening, and are proportioned and arranged for causing liquid.flowing along the path at the outlet [56] R f n Cit d opening to have an essentially laminar flow character- UNITED STATES PATENTS istic' and an essentially uniform liquid flow pattern. The flow controlling means include-the proportioning EZ E g i i of the chamber to have a mean cross-sectional area in 23969l8 10/1945 Timpson 239/590'3 X a plane transverse to the axis of symmetry which is substantially greater than the effective area of the inlet opening.

1 Claim, 1 Drawing Figure L/fl Wm" [MW \QM! w 0 it? 0W0 it i it lily/ AXIAL FLOW FOUNTAIN BASE CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 87,886 filed Nov. 9, 1970, now issued as U. S. Pat. No. 3,705,686.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to ornamental fountains and DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART The abovementioned copending application describes fountain nozzle mounting bases which are arranged so that the water which flows through an outlet 7 opening from a chamber within the base has a uniform liquid flow pattern and a substantially laminar liquid flow characteristic.

Water flowing through an opening or a duct has a uniform liquid flow pattern-where the velocity profile taken in any radial plane through the opening or duct is the same as the velocity profile taken in any other radial plane through the opening or duct, whether or not the liquid flow characteristic be laminar or turbulent flow.-

A uniform liquid flow pattern in the water supplied to the fountain discharge nozzle is desired because such nozzles are generally designed to operate as though they were mounted to the end of a coaxially disposed water supply pipe of substantially infinite length. As a practical matter, however, it is not possible in a particular fountainassembly to mount the fountain nozzle at the end of a coaxially aligned water supply pipe of effectively infinite length. Thus, in any practical fountain installation, some compromise must be made between optimum plumbing arrangements to the nozzle, and the space limitations dictated by the particular fountain installation.

The referenced copending application describes fountain nozzle mounting bases which are so structured that the water presented to the inlet opening of the nozzle appears to have arrived at the nozzle through a coaxially aligned supply pipe of effectively indefinite length. All of the mounting bases described in the copending application are arranged for supply of water to the base internal chamber from a side wall of the chamber, whereas the outlet opening from the chamber is through the top of the chamber.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION This invention provides an axial flow mounting base for a suitable fountain discharge nozzle. The axial flow base may be used in situations where the bases described in the referenced application may not be used effectively. The present base effectively, economically and efficiently provides all of the advantages provided by the several bases described in the copending application by the use of structure which is simple, rugged and reliable.

Generally speaking, the present invention provides a fountain base which includes a housing arranged to define an internal chamber having a vertical axis of symmetry. Inlet and outlet openings are formed through the housing coaxially of the chamber at opposite ends of the chamber. Means are provided for mounting a water discharge nozzle to the housing coaxially of the chamber outlet opening. Liquid flow controlling means are operatively associated with the path of liquid flow through the chamber from the inlet opening to the outlet opening. The flow controlling means are proportioned and arranged for causing liquid flowing along the path at the outlet opening to have an essentially laminar flow characteristic and an essentially uniform liquid flow pattern. The flow controlling means include the proportioni'ng of the chamber to have a mean crosssectional area in a plane transverse to the axis of symmetry which is substantially greater than the effective area of the inlet opening.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The above-mentioned and other features of this invention are more fully set forth in the following detailed description of a presently preferred embodiment of this invention, which description is presented with reference to the accompanying drawing which is a cross-sectional elevation view of an axial flow mounting base for a fountain nozzle.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT A'n ornamental water fountain l includes a suitable water discharge nozzle 2 mounted to an axial flow support base 3. The support base is submerged below the surface 4 of a fountain pool 5 and is carried at the upper end of a riser 6 above the floor 7 of the pool. Riser 6 is defined by the terminal portion of a water supply pipe 8 which extends substantially horizontally from an elbow 9 through the concrete or other material defining the bottom of the fountain pool. Nozzle 2 is so carried by base 3 that the upper portion of the nozzle is disposed above water surface 4. Preferably, the nozzle and the mounting base are coaxially aligned along an axis of symmetry 10 for the water discharge pattern 11 produced by operation of nozzle 2.

' Discharge pattern llll is of the type which is produced by operation of a nozzle such as that shown in FIGS. l-5 of my prior U. S. Pat. No. 3,558,053. Workers skilled in the art to which this invention pertains will readily understand, however, that discharge pattern 11 could easily be a different symmetrical discharge pattern produced by operation of the nozzles shown in commonly owned U. S. Pat. Nos. 3,447,749, 3,481,541, 3,506,196, 3,547,351 or 3,645,449, or a plume-type discharge pattern produced by operation of the nozzles shown in commonly owned U. S. Pat. Nos. 3,602,434, 3,612,396, 3,633,822 or 3,640,472, for example. The nozzle structures described in these patents operate best when the water supplied to the inlet opening of the nozzle has a water flow characteristic which is substantially laminar and has a uniform liquid flow pattern, as defined above.

Nozzle mounting base 3 is defined principally of a body 13 and a cover plate l4 which cooperate to enclose an internal chamber 15 defined symmetrically about axis 10. Preferably the chamber configuration resembles that of a right circular cylinder. The chamber opens to the top surface of the body. The cover plate is secured to the body in chamber-closing relation by a plurality of bolts 16, only one of which is shown, engaged between the cover plate and the body at spaced locations around the periphery of the cover plate. A chamber inlet opening 17 is formed through the body of the housing coaxially of the chamber. Preferably the inner end of the inlet opening is belled outwardly, as shown in the drawing, to provide a smooth transition of water flow from riser 6 to the chamber via the inlet opening. Also, a chamber outlet opening 18 is defined through the cover plate coaxially of the chamber.

Preferably the housing body and cover plate are fabricated of a synthetic material such as cast polyester resin or of polyvinyl chloride. Nozzle 2 has a body 19 which is also preferably fabricated of a synthetic material. The nozzle 2 is mounted to base 3 so that a liquid inlet opening across an open lower end of nozzle body 19 is effectively communicated with chamber via chamber outlet opening 18. Where the nozzle body and the housing cover plate are fabricated of a synthetic material, as is preferred, the mounting of the nozzle body in effective communication with the chamber is facilitated by disposing the lower portion of the nozzle body within chamber outlet opening 18 and by solvent welding the nozzle body to cover plate 14, as shown in the drawing. In this manner, the cover plate and bolts 16 comprise means for mounting nozzle 2 to the housing coaxially of the chamber outlet opening.

As shown in the drawing, the lower end of nozzle body 19 is disposed within chamber 15. A flow directing and strainer assembly 20 is carried by the lower end of the nozzle within the chamber. The strainer assembly includes an annular upper plate 21 connected to the lower end of the nozzle body, and a circular lower plate 22 of the same diameter as the upper plate. The upper and lower strainer plates are disposed in closure relation across the opposite ends of a cylinder 23 of perforated metal or other foraminous material. The diameter of strainer assembly 20 is greater than the diameter of chamber inlet opening 17, but less than the diameter of chamber 15. Also, the strainer assembly preferably is disposed in the upper portion of chamber 15.

The fountain installation shown in the accompanying drawings is typical of many fountain installations, particularly the type of fountain installation found in parks, in front of buildings, and the like. in these fountain installations, the fountain assembly is located in an artificial water pool defined by a concrete bowl structure; water is supplied to the fountain assembly through a vertical or substantially vertical riser stub extending upwardly from an elbow at the end of a water supply pipe buried in the pool structure.

Because it has just passed elbow 9, the water entering chamber inlet opening 17 has a non-uniform liquid flow pattern. The cross-sectional area of chamber 15 is substantially greater than that of riser 6 and inlet opening 17, such that as the water enters the chamber its velocity is reduced. In the chamber, fountain supply water flows radially inwardly through the vertically disposed foraminous element of strainer assembly 20. Thus, the water entering the inlet opening of nozzle 2 comes uniformly from all directions radially of the nozzle at substantially uniform velocity, which velocity is sufficiently low that the flow characteristic of water entering the lower open end of nozzle body 19 is substantially laminar. Also, the water entering the lower open end of the nozzle and flowing in the nozzle body through chamber outlet opening 18 has an essentially uniform liquid flow pattern. Accordingly, the structure within nozzle 2 which defines the particular liquid discharge pattern 11 is able to operate effectively and predictably to produce the desired fountain pattern.

The mechanism provided by nozzle base 3 for causing liquid flowing through the chamber outlet opening to have a uniform flow pattern includes the proportioning of the chamber to have a mean cross-sectional area in planes transverse to axis 10 which is substantially greater than the effective area of inlet opening 17.

Nozzle mounting base 3 is connected to the upper end of riser 6 by a mounting assembly 25. Conventionally, the upper end of the riser is externally threaded, as at 26. The mounting assembly includes a bolting flange 27 engaged with the riser external threads. An annular gasket 28 of rubber or some other suitable elastomeric material is disposed between bolting flange 27 and the bottom of housing body 13 circumferentially of inlet opening 17. Three leveling bolts 29, only one of which is shown, are engaged from the bolting flange through the gasket into the lower portion of the housing body at equally spaced intervals circumferentially of axis 10. Where, as preferred, housing body 13 is fabricated of a synthetic material, adjusting bolts 29 are engaged within nuts 30 held captive within the material of the housing body.

It frequently happens that riser 6 is not truly vertical above elbow 9. After nozzle mounting base 3 has been connected to the upper end of the riser by means of bolting flange 27, adjusting bolts 29 are selectively tightened against the resilience of gasket 28 so that the axis of symmetry of chamber 15 is aligned with a plumb line through the upper end of the riser.

It is apparent that the structure of nozzle mounting base 3 is so arranged that fountain nozzles according to the disclosures of the above-mentioned U. S. Pat. Nos. 3,447,749, etc. may be used as replacement fountain nozzles in existing fountain bowls originally constructed to receive other types of fountain assemblies.

If strainer assembly 20 should ever become clogged or require cleaning, access to the strainer assembly is easily accomplished merely by unbolting cover plate 14 from housing body 13.

The foregoing description has been presented with reference to a presently preferred embodiment of the invention. The described embodiment is not the only form which structures according to this invention may take. Alterations and modifications may be made to the illustrated embodiment while still taking advantage of the teachings presented herein. Accordingly, the foregoing description should not be considered as limiting the scope of this invention or as defining the only permissible form of apparatus according to this invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A fountain base comprising a housing defining an intei'nal chamber having an axis of symmetry, an inlet opening coaxially to the chamber through one end thereof, an outlet opening from the chamber coaxially through the other end thereof, means for mounting a water discharge nozzle to the housing coaxially of the chamber outlet opening, liquid flow controlling means operatively associated with the path of liquid flow through the chamber from the inlet opening to the outlet opening and proportioned and arranged for causing liquid flowing along the path at the outlet opening to have an essentially laminar axial flow characteristic and an essentially uniform liquid flow pattern, said flow controlling means including the proportioning of the tially vertical water supply pipe, the mounting means including means operable for adjusting the position of the base on a water supply pipe so that the chamber axis corresponds to a plumb line. 

1. A fountain base comprising a housing defining an internal chamber having an axis of symmetry, an inlet opening coaxially to the chamber through one end thereof, an outlet opening from the chamber coaxially through the other end thereof, means for mounting a water discharge nozzle to the housing coaxially of the chamber outlet opening, liquid flow controlling means operatively associated with the path of liquid flow through the chamber from the inlet opening to the outlet opening and proportioned and arranged for causing liquid flowing along the path at the outlet opening to have an essentially laminar axial flow characteristic and an essentially uniform liquid flow pattern, said flow controlling means including the proportioning of the chamber to have a mean cross-sectional area in a plane transverse to the axis of symmetry which is substantially greater than the effective area of the inlet opening and mounting means cooperating with the inlet opening for mounting the base to the upper end of a substantially vertical water supply pipe, the mounting means including means operable for adjusting the position of the base on a water supply pipe so that the chamber axis corresponds to a plumb line. 